Your Hand
by earanemith
Summary: AU: It was winter in Boston; snow had fallen and was currently ankle deep. Emma Swan was walking home when her attention was taken by a sound that came from the alley she just walked by::How Emma Swan& Ziva David met


It was winter in Boston; snow had fallen and was currently ankle deep. A 19 year old Emma Swan was trying to make her way back to her small 2 room apartment. It wasn't that long ago she'd been behind bars. She was trying to pick her life back up. She got a job, not the best being a waitress in a small café. They were crappy shifts, mostly working until deep in the night, but her boss was kind enough and she could afford the rent to her small home.

She was always alert on what was happening around her just like this night. She had to go another block before she was home when her attention was taken by a sound that came from the alley she just walked by. Her logical mind screamed at her not to go and see what it was, she'd had enough trouble in her life already. But her instinct told her that she needed to. Walking a few steps back through the snow she was now able to look into the alley. All that she could see was a shape on the ground. 'Don't get in other people's business' she thought to herself as she wanted to go on with her travel home. A sob coming from the shape made her stand still. Now her eyes were getting used to the darkened alley she could see it was a person, a woman, a girl. Her feet moved before Emma realized what she was doing as she was approaching the girl. When the girl noticed that someone was approaching she curled even further in herself.

"Excuse me?" Emma carefully asked. The girl did not respond and Emma slowly reached her hand out, planning on toughing her shoulder to get the girls attention. She barley even touched the girl when she sprung into action.

She backed even further into the wall if that was possible, her head shot up, bruised, cut and tears down her face. That was not the only one she raised. A gun was in her shaking hands, now pointed at Emma. All the while the girl yelled words at her she didn't understand.

"Okay okay, I'll back down. Just put the gun down, I'm not going to hurt you"

Tearful eyes looked at Emma question marks clearly in them, just as fear.

"Please put the gun down. You're hurt, you need help."

For a moment the girls grip on the gun got stronger and more tears leaked from her eyes.

"My name is Emma and I only want to help you, just let me help you"

At that the girls resolve broke. The hand that held the gun dropped into the snow and the grip loosened. Emma released a breath she didn't know she was holding. Had it gone wrong she would not be standing here.

"Ziva" the girl mumbled through her softened sobs.

"Alright Ziva, come on we have to get you up, I can't leave you here in the snow." This time when she reached her hand out to Ziva she wasn't met with a gun. Only with big brown orbs and then slowly a shaking hand reaching to grab Emma's. While taking Ziva's hand to help her up Emma saw that the wounds didn't stay limited to Ziva's face there were bloody nail marks on the top of her hand.

Once Emma got her up she took the gun and put it in her purse. Whatever it was this girl had done she needed to get her wits back first, someone finding this gun was not a wise move.

"Come on, my apartment is just a blog away" Emma said before leading Ziva out of the alley.

The walk to her apartment was a silent one. To Emma it seemed as if Ziva did not even notice what she was doing. Soon they were inside her warmed apartment. Emma put her bag down and took of her coat. When Ziva stood dead still in the middle of the doorway Emma took her arm and guided her in. Helping her taking of her coat and then leading her to the bathroom. Form beneath the sink she pulled out a first aid kit and let Ziva sit down on the closed toilet.

She first tended to the wound on Ziva's hand. While she was dabbing the antiseptic Ziva didn't even flinch. To keep it clean and keep it from opening up she put a bandage around the hand. Then she moved on to Ziva's face. She cleaned out the cuts and put the little ointment that she had on the bruises. She couldn't do much more. While cleaning out the cuts on Ziva's face it was the first time she got a good look at the girl she had before her. She didn't look as if she lived in the neighborhood, her skin was obviously tanned by living in the sun, curling hair down to her hips, and make up smeared on her face. While fixing her up Emma also removed the makeup, for a moment she could do nothing more than stare at Ziva's face, beneath the broken mask and makeup was a beautiful girl.

"Why?" Ziva asked suddenly, the first words she'd spoken to Emma after her name.

"Why what?"

"Why do you help me?" now an accent was clear in Ziva's voice.

"Because you need it" Dreading Ziva's answer she still asked "Are you hurt anywhere ells?"

Ziva slowly shook her head and Emma began packing the first aid kit back up.

"I think this calls for a cup of hot chocolate" Emma said as she stood and went to her little kitchenette. Ziva didn't follow her but stayed as she was seated on the toilet.

While preparing their drinks a part of Emma started to question her. Why did she take this stranger in? She told Ziva because she needed help; there was more to it however. When Ziva looked at her that first time she was shocked at what she saw in her eyes. It was as if she looked into a mirror to her own face. The despair, the loneliness the hurt. When the drinks were finished Emma took the mugs and turned around almost dropping the mugs in her hands as Ziva stood barley a step away from her. Emma had never heard her leave the bathroom. How could a person be this silent when walking in heels?

"Jeez, you scared me"

"Sorry" Ziva said as she moved her eyes to the ground.

"It's okay, here" as she gave Ziva the mug who eagerly took a sip then frowned and took another sip. "Oh I'm sorry I've put cinnamon in it, it's a quirk from mine"

"I like it" Ziva said as both girls walked to Emma's old couch and sat down. For couple of minutes neither said a word. Not knowing what to do sipping the warm liquid. It was then Emma who took the first step.

"What happened? How did you end up in that alley? Who hurt you?"

"I cannot tell you"

"Why not? I think that is the least you can do after I"

"If I do then my father he will, oh no he will, I have" her breathing became faster with shorter intakes of breath, the beginning of a panic attack.

"Breath just breath its okay"

"No it's not I" She silenced herself by putting her uninjured hand on her mouth, shaking her head. Seeing as that she would not get anything ells out of her Emma stood up and pulled a blanket and extra pillow from her closet. She laid them both down next to Ziva.

"Here, I think it's best we both get some rest. I'm just in the other room" With that Emma left Ziva alone.

It took her a while to let Emma's words sink in, it was only then that she noticed the room had already been darkened, no light but the street lantern outside of the apartment. She took off the heels she was still wearing and pulled the blanket tightly around her when she let her head sink into the pillow. It was then that she realized where she was. She was in this stranger's apartment, a girl that seemed to be her age. A girl she didn't even know except her name. What if she hadn't been found? She shivered at that thought. She willed her mind not to think about all the things that had happened that day, even the last two weeks. While she pressed herself deeper into the couch and took in the smell of the blanket she felt oddly safe as she fell asleep.

It was barley two hours after both girls had fallen asleep when Emma was woken by a sound coming from the living room. Frowning she thought what it could be, then it came back to her, Ziva. Throwing the blankets of she walked to the couch, seeing Ziva as she lay on the couch illuminated by the streetlight. The blanket was tossed on the ground and she had a pained expression on her face. Sounds that seemed awfully lot like "no, please, stop, let me go" came out of Ziva's mouth.

"Ziva" Emma whispered at first "wake up!" louder when that did not work she placed her hand on Ziva's shoulder wanting to shake her awake. As soon as her hand touched Ziva's bare skin she shot upright on the couch. "Ziva, it's okay. You're safe here"

Ziva looked bewildered at Emma after a moment of calming down. "I should not have bothered you I'm sorry" Ziva said as she started to get up and reach for her shoes.

"No, you don't get to just leave" Emma burst out. "It's cold outside, you're barley dressed warm enough to keep warm during the day, it's twice as cold now, don't do anything stupid and get on the streets now"

"I already did something stupid and now I must pay for that. I am sorry to intrude. I'll just"

"Stop!" Emma said with much force in her voice. She could not let Ziva go now. Not now that she found her cold and scared in the snow, not now that she knew someone had hurt Ziva, especially not now that she had witnessed part of Ziva's nightmare. "It's okay to be scared, someone hurt you I only want to help, please just sit down" Ziva did as Emma asked but she also replied to Emma's words in a way that she had not expected.

"No, it is not. I knew this could happen. I brought this onto myself."

"Tell me what happened, I promise you I won't get you into trouble with the police, but tell me why were you carrying a gun"

"I am not concerned with the police. I am concerned with my work."

Work did that mean what Emma thought, the makeup and dress were a bit to daring for a 19 year old girl.

"It is not what you think, I am not a..What do you call it call.."

"Callgirl?" Emma supplied for her

"Yes that. It is…was a mission that I was send on and"

"What mission?"

"I already told you to much, I am sorry""

"Stop saying you're sorry. I think the least that I deserve after taking you from the street is that you are honest with me"

Ziva seemed in conflict with herself. Could she tell Emma? Was it safe? In the end she gave in. After all what were the chances of Emma even believing her"Alright." She made place for Emma on the couch and waited for her to sit down "My work makes me do a lot of things, sort of like the CIA only Israeli. I have been in Boston for the past two weeks. My job required me to pretend to be a, callgirl yes?" Emma nodded "I had to get close to this man who was importend to my father to get information and so I did. For the past two weeks I have been going with him to parties, even a meeting once. The job did not entail sleep with these men, just entertain them, make them feel less lonely, and it worked, he told me a lot, leave me alone with his documents I was finally getting somewhere my father told me to continue. I should have trusted my instincts but I didn't, I am trained for this yet I was to blind to see this. It is all my fault. It was the first time he let me come to a hotel room. He came on to me, he grabbed me, threw me on the bed and I..I was so scared, at first I could not reach my gun I still do not know how I got to it. I told him to stop over and over but he wouldn't I tried to fight but he his me back several times. I don't remember how I got form the bed to the ground and to my gun but that was when I shot him. I don't know what happened after that until you found me" Silence came over them Emma soaking it all up.

"Are you sure he is dead?"

"I have been trained not to miss last time I missed was two years ago"

"at sixteen? You said your father made you"

"My father is also my director, it is okay if you want me to leave now, I killed a man, I shot him" she added seeming to barley believe it herself.

"I will be honest with you I don't know what to say." Ziva took this as a sign she was not welcome anymore and stood to leave "but I don't want you to leave. What you did was something you had to do in order to safe yourself. I'm not saying it is okay to kill someone I just…I know what it is to feel all alone in this world, and you seem as if you could use a friend and a safe place right now. I've been on the street all alone once too, I was alone and scared, all I wanted was a friend, so please let me be your friend for now"

Ziva could not believe her ears that a kindness even after what she'd admitted she'd done could come from a stranger. Ziva looked into Emma's eyes, looking for a lie, she found none. And it was the first time since her mother and little sister both died, the first time since two years that she felt safe, cared for. That alone brought tears to her eyes once again.  
Emma didn't think for a second longer as she wrapped her arms around Ziva's now shaking frame into a hug. When the new round of tears had somewhat calmed down Emma took Ziva's hand once again and pulled her up leading her to the bedroom.

"Comeon I hate sleeping alone" Emma said as she already lay down on one side of the bed. Ziva soon following her. "If there is anything you wake me"

She saw Ziva nod in the dark. Then both fell into silence. After more then a couple of minutes neither had attempted to fall asleep.

"Emma?" Ziva soflty asked

"yes" Emma replied as she turned her face to Ziva.

"I know this will sound, stupid and weak but is it okay to hold your hand I want to not feel…"

"Alone?" Emma supplied "It's not stupid or weak" she added as she searched for Ziva's hand in the dark. And like that both girls were finally able to fall asleep. Through the rest of the night both girls slept soundless, no nightmares entered either of their dreams.

Emma was woken by the sun that shone into her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that Ziva's hand wasn't in hers anymore like all through the night. Next she looked at her alarm. It was already 10 o'clock.

"Ziva, you want breakfast?" Emma asked but got no reply. Now she looked next to her and she got up immediately. Ziva wasn't at her side. She listened, no sound in the bathroom either. She got out of bed no Ziva in the livingroom/kitchen either. She had left, Emma was sure. The couple of time she had crashed with people when she was running from the system she didn't stay longer then a night either. Emma couldn't help but feel hurt, was this the thanks she got for trusting her instincts. As she sat down on the couch she noticed a note on her table. As she picked it up she knew Ziva had to have left it.

'Dear Emma,

I am sorry to leave you without telling you this early in the morning. I had never thought I would find safety in the home of a complete stranger. Yet with your presence I did not feel scared anymore. Still I had to leave so soon. I need to let my director know what happened before I get in trouble, before I get you into trouble.

You kept me safe in this cold night when I had nowhere to go. I left my bag here, don't use it unless you absolutely need it but it will be there to protect you should you need it. I hope we will meet again under lighter circumstances.

I cannot repeat how thankful I am for your warm hand to hold in the night.

Thank you,  
my friend'

No signed name. But why had she left her bag? What could a bag do for her? She got up and took the bag from the place she hung it up last night. She opened it. Nothing was in it, or so it seemed at first. When Emma put her hand in it she was met by something cold, she slowly took it out. It was Ziva's gun the clip full except 2 bullets plus an extra ammo case. Knowing what Ziva had told her about her job it was untraceable. For now Emma put it back and placed the bag in the back of her closet.

With a soft smile and a slight tingle in the hand Ziva had held that night she picked up the letter and looked at Ziva's last words.

"I hope so too my friend "

**AN: so this is my version of Ziva and Emma meeting, also on how Emma first started to carry a gun.  
Anyone wants more?  
Have fiction/fanVideo idea's let me know I'll make/write it!**


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